


Happiness Isn't Easy

by Donteatthefootcream



Series: Winning Over Hearts [2]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Ed trying to take care of himself... finally, Ed's back, Ed's on a mission, Friendship, Hopeful Ending, Iceberg Lounge 2.0, Implied beginning to Zero Year plotline, M/M, Oswald cares too much, Post 4x22, Second Chances, not unrequited love, origami penguin, pining?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 23:37:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donteatthefootcream/pseuds/Donteatthefootcream
Summary: While the new and improved Iceberg Lounge is still being built, Edward Nygma returns for some answers.





	Happiness Isn't Easy

**Author's Note:**

> This could have been a lot better. 
> 
> Also, I guess this could be some type of continuation to my angsty one about Oswald finding Ed's dead body, but this could be read as a stand alone.

Lee Thompkins and Edward Nygma were awake from Hell’s prison within two weeks. And, it only took three days for Ed to come marching into Oswald’s headquarters. Well, Oswald wouldn’t say headquarters. There’s still plenty of things to be done and for the Iceberg Lounge 2.0 to be able to run.

 

Oswald is strongly displeased to see Ed in his office, gun at his side, hair out of place, and with a pure look of frustration. Even though he’s grateful to see Ed on his feet again, he takes guard due to not knowing if the target of Ed’s frustration will be him. 

 

He tries to hold down the painful memory of Ed’s dead body as he looks at him. The blood in his clothes could have been cleaned, but they were thrown out. He would never be able to wear them again, the pants reminding him of having to hold another loved one’s dead body. Maybe if he acts coldly and uncaring, Ed will go away. Obviously, Ed’s looking for answers. Answers Oswald would rather forget about. 

 

“Ed! What a surprise!” Oswald greets coldly, gesturing to Ed’s untamed state. 

 

“Speaking that way isn’t going to help you, Oswald,” Ed replies, patting the gun held in his pants. 

 

“Isn’t a little bit too soon to be exploiting yourself? I would have recommended  _ at least _ a week before trying to make threats.”

 

“Oswald, I am not here to be belittled. I’ve been to Hell and back-”

 

“I bet you have.” Oswald jokes with a snide grin, rounding his desk to stand in front of him. “Now, why are you here, Ed?”  _ To interrogate me.  _

 

Ed’s shoulders seem to deflate, his posture less rigid and his face relaxed. His hands fall aimlessly to his sides and he looks about the room, anywhere that isn’t Oswald. 

 

“I need to find a way for this city to fear me, Oswald.” He sighs, looking back at him reluctantly, “Everyone in the Narrows knows how I…. died, how I was used. Soon, the whole city will know and look at me as if I’m some easily manipulated person. And, I guess I was, but not anymore. This can be a new start which means I need to get my reputation back on track.”

 

Oswald leans back against the table, his hands back to hold him up. “Ed, I’m glad to hear you’ve come to your senses, truly, but why are you telling me this? I can’t help you, not like I would.”

 

“Because, you’re the reason I’ve been given this chance. That whole mess which lead to my demise really enlightened me on what I should be doing. I should be terrorizing this city with deadly puzzles, tricks, and riddles. I refuse to be some pawn or sidekick. I’m  _ The Riddler _ , a man who listens to no one. And you helped me see that. That’s all.”

 

Oswald doesn’t allow his face to change to express his surprise? Worry? How did Ed figure out it was him? Strange wasn’t supposed to say anything. Did he give it up or did Ed put two and two together? To be truthfully honest, the latter seems impossible. Wouldn’t Ed believe that Oswald would abandon him after the bank?

 

He won’t give himself up to Ed so quickly. “Ed, anyone in this city could’ve saved you. Why do you  _ possibly  _ think it was me?”

 

Ed chuckles darkly, moving forward only a few steps. He wiggles a finger at Oswald. An action Oswald would usually take no threat from, yet Ed has figured him out.  _ That’s _ terrifying. “You’re the only person in this city apart from Bruce Wayne that would have the money or power. I’m pretty sure Bruce Wayne would  _ not  _ be trying to save my life.”

 

He almost laughs at the Bruce Wayne part. Bruce Wayne saving Edward Nygma, a killer would be incredibly strange. “ _ Fine, Ed.  _ I did save you and your ex-girlfriend. Is that what you want to hear?”

 

Oswald watches as Ed plops down into the seat in front of him, his back leaning to his right for his legs to lazily swing over the left side. “Partially. What I  _ really  _ want to hear is  _ why  _ you would save me. The one reason I can think of is that you can get revenge. You were too late to do the job so you had to bring me back. The only flaw in the reason is you also helped Lee.”

 

Part of him is astounded at how  _ wrong  _ Edward Nygma is. However, hasn’t he always been with Oswald? He never saw the love he held for him. Never saw how Oswald  _ could  _ and  _ did  _ love. He was there in Ed’s apartment with him. If Oswald didn’t know how to love, how could he have been so depressed and full of despair about his mother? He didn’t catch on to Oswald’s weirdly worded love confession at the docks. And he most certainly didn’t have the sense in him to find the  _ clear  _ answer to his question. 

 

Instead, he slowly laughs mockingly with a shake of his head. “You’re a genius, but you sure are an  _ idiot _ when it comes to people. Especially me.”

 

A darkness glinted in Ed’s brown eyes at the word “idiot”, but Ed chooses not to act on it. “What the hell could it be, Oswald? I shot you, ruined your empire, and messed with your head. Then, right when you believed you could trust me again, I betray you for a woman who later stabbed me. If I were you, I would be dead by now.”

 

“You did mess with my head, tear apart my empire, and shoot me, but what did I do Ed? I froze you. Don’t you see what you’re missing, Ed? I would never kill you.”

 

Ed looks at his hands, muttering to himself. He’s most likely trying to reassess the situation. It takes him a few seconds before he looks at Oswald again. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

 

It’s been difficult to not scream at him. He wishes that this idiot genius wasn’t the love of his life because  _ God,  _ was he difficult! Why is so hard for Ed to see? See that Oswald wouldn’t let anyone put a fatal finger on Edward Nygma, and if they did he would save him again. How many times has he saved this man now? Too many to count. 

 

“Oswald, give it to me straight-” Ed begins. 

 

“Because I love you god damn it!” Oswald practically shouts, quickly moving to get behind his desk. To put a barrier between the two of them. “If you think it’s easy for me to admit that, you’re wrong. If you think it was easy for me to find your  _ dead, lifeless  _ body in a pool of your own blood you’d be dreaming. It wasn’t  _ easy _ , Ed. It wasn’t  _ easy  _ to feel completely hopeless in those painful moments, not knowing if I’d ever see you again. You don’t know, Ed.”

 

He’s silent, his body limp in what used to be such a proud pose. It’s going to keep coming back to this, Oswald being unconditionally in love with a man who accepts love from hurtful people. Oswald will never claim that’d he be a perfect partner and that he wouldn’t make mistakes, but mistakes would hurt him as much as they’d hurt Ed. Edward Nygma is a treasure and he would do anything in his power to keep him safe. 

 

“Why save Lee then? The person who… made you go through that.”

 

“I-I don’t know. To kill her? To make me look better in case you continued to care? To have someone intelligent in charge of the Narrows? That’s an answer I can’t give you, Ed.”

 

Ed unnecessarily pushes his glasses back up his nose, a nervous tick Oswald has picked up on. “I’m sorry that my naive beliefs and hopes keep hurting you, Oswald.”

 

He shouldn’t feel satisfaction from that, but he does. He takes the peace in the room to safely sit down at his desk, aware that Ed is no longer here to shoot him. 

 

“Can you go now? Take a week off too prior to starting anything, I don’t want to worry,” Oswald quietly says. 

 

“Oswald, I know you want more than I can give you,” Ed says, disregarding Oswald’s recent request, “I don’t mean it in an… unrequited sort of way. I mean it in a way to say that I’m not good enough. I’ll cause havoc in your business with my clues. The clues will result with incarceration, a pain you don’t need. I think we both see I don’t know how to hold a functional, healthy, and happy relationship. It always ends in death and mistreatment. You don’t  _ deserve  _ to be caught up in my unfortunate problems.”

 

The worst part is, Oswald agrees with him. Not with the part of Oswald not deserving him, the rest of it. Yes, Ed has his problems and he can be incredibly obnoxious, but shouldn’t he take a chance? A chance to see if Oswald can end his streak of misfortune? 

 

“Ed-”

 

“Don’t try to persuade me otherwise, Oswald. You’re thinking you’ll be the solution, and maybe you are, but I’ve learned my lesson. It is  _ pointless  _ for Edward Nygma to search for happiness.”

 

Disappointment is an emotion Oswald is used to. Disappointing, however, he understands how it feels to think happiness will never be obtained. He’s been there, done that. Yet, he persists for his happiness to be reached with Ed whenever the time is right. But, there’s a possibility that the only happiness Edward Nygma will give him is simply being alive. 

 

“So, what’s the plan then? To make the city fear you.”

 

“I’ll take a break to make sure everything is in place. The rest? You’ll have to wait and see.” He smirks at him before standing up. Ed puts a hand into his suit jacket, feeling for something. It’s quick and no presentation is given for the small gift. He gently places it on the desk and leaves without a word. 

 

Oswald feels his heart drop when he looks at the object.  _ An origami penguin.  _ He can only hope for a riddle inside, something positive like the last time. An escape from his own misery, perhaps? 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how Gotham is going to do an adaptation of Zero Year. Ed took over that city because of a well thought out plan while the city was distracted with other things. Even though it looks like the GCPD will be distracted, I don't see Ed taking over the city and having THAT much power like in the graphic novel. It would be cool to see, but it's not realistic in the show. So, that's why Ed didn't give Oswald any details because I'm more clueless than Oswald is.
> 
> Might continue this, might not. The only way I could is if I plan my own adaptation of Zero Year, and that's easier said than done.


End file.
